phoenix song and dragon dance
by shiirojasmine
Summary: My name was Yuu Kanda, but I changed it to Kanna. It's safer for me, because I have infiltrated against my will, the Phoenix's Tower. Did I mention we're at war with the phoenixes? Arekan!
1. The Next Ryuou

Blood.

It was everywhere.

A figure stands among the red soiled earth, solitary, but his army stands loyally behind them. The figure turned their twilight grey eyes toward the sky. It was so dark, such a depressing grey as a single word whispered through his mind, breath, _death._ A draconian lied at his feet, his breathing shallow, but calm with acceptance, but he didn't miss the emotion in the other's eyes. He kneeled down, watching the draconian's face, feelings of pity forming in him.

A boy, he realized. The boy couldn't be any older than his older brother when he died, and the boy flinched at his close proximity. "You're dying," he said quietly, and the draconian closed his eyes, his breathing slowing as the figure slowly sang a lullaby for the draconian's ears only.

"Allen." Linali's voice was smooth as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "That was… noble… of you, but please, come away. The king and queen will be angry if they find out you…"

"He was so young," Allen said, voice soft. "But he's dead now…"

"It's in the past now, you can't change it," she said, firmer. He nodded, unsure as he stared at the corpse before him.

_Another battle_, Kanda thought, _another hundreds of lives taken_. How exactly did the entire war start in the first place? He shook his head. _Better left unknown_, he thought wryly, _Rabi might actually come and answer; it'd take up the rest of the day_.

Aoba watched her quiet older brother brooding, staring out the windowsill, seeing nothing but miles and miles of stretching forests. He was a reticent creature as of late, and she could see the war taking a toll on his shoulders, especially since Yuuki and her unborn child's deaths. "Brother," she said quietly, and slowly his head turned her way. "The coronation…"

"…I have to go now, don't I?" She could see the clear exhaustion, the weariness in his glassy black eyes as she nodded, pushing him forward out the doors of his vast, gloomy chamber.

"Yes, it's a good thing that you've dressed for it too," she said. Her brother was still the same hard worker that she had always known, and that was one thing she was secretly glad that hasn't changed about him. She did miss his slightly grumpy moods though, as it was preferable to his now sullen ones. "Hurry, they're expecting us, Brother!"

"It's only the ceremony," Kanda said. "I still have to wait another few days to be crowned anyway."

"Whether or not it's only a ceremony or party, it's still important!" Aoba insisted.

As soon as the ceremony (of many boring readings of the ancient scrolls, of Rabi) began, it was thankfully over, much to Kanda's relief, yet he couldn't shake off the emotions of dread that he would soon be crowned as the next Ryuou. But before that would happen, there would be days of parties swimming up to the very brim.

But he didn't want to be king.

Yuuki should've still been alive, sitting tall and proud on her throne and with a little child lying asleep in her arms, and maybe with her mate by her side. He poured the red wine into a crystalline goblet, watching as the red and slight purple swirled around in elegant wisps. How could he have been so stupid? Why didn't he caution his sister to place more guards around the palace? Why hadn't he been there to help protect her? Why didn't he hear her scream?

"Brother," Aoba said softly. "Are you tired? Perhaps you should rest." Kanda nodded. Yes, rest. It was very tempting as he dragged his aching feet, and he supported himself by leaning against his younger sister.

"Aoba?" She listened to her brother's fatigued, forlorn voice.

"I don't want to be Ryuou."

She sighed quietly, squeezing her brother's pale, cool hand. "You will make a fine king, Brother, really. Yuuki will be _proud_."


	2. Sold and Bought

I awoke and sighed deeply to myself. I couldn't sleep, and the exhaustion weighed heavily down in my eyes, but it was becoming frequent these days, so I tried to pay it no mind. I slipped off my bed and onto my bare feet, sliding the slightly wrinkled silken sheets off me. I headed over towards the balcony.

The night was hot and stifling. I tugged on the collar of my already thin, white shirt as I pulled my hair back from my sticky neck into a loose low ponytail. Crickets croaked boastingly in the background and I leaned tiredly against the railing with my head against the cool marble.

I stared up warily at the sky into the grimacing face of the eerily pale, red moon. I couldn't find the energy to glare back.

Wait, what was that?

I leaned over the railing, squinted my eyes, peering into the illuminated darkness. There were a few dark specks there, right before the moon, becoming larger as they flew closer. I could see the light, tawny colored feathers of the beating, peregrine wings. I drew back, preparing to rush back into the room for my katana.

My breath hitched before I released a strangled yell as cold, hands of talons grasped my arms. I struggled wildly. I was partially a draconian, but I couldn't fly. I did everything I could, kick (which was the only thing I seemed to be able to do as my arms were tightly secured, and I refused to scream as a damsel in distress would).

I was lifted higher into the blue black and purple streaked sky, my legs dangling below me. "Quit it, you damn lizard!" one of them spat. I tensed. I wanted to spit in their faces, but unfortunately from this angle, my spittle would've only fall back down on my own. I opted for a growl instead, baring my sharps fangs. One of my capturers slapped me – a she-avian.

"You're not that great yourself," I retorted. "You're only a lowly little sparrow."

"Better than you! Anyone can tell you're just some little mongrel." I froze for a moment. I was a mongrel, and I had never liked that part about myself. A dirty little half-blood. That was my only place, royalty or not, among my people. I didn't bother asking what they wanted with me. Either way, it would all end badly, and knowing the answer would just make me dread it all the more.

The wind pelted against me dryly, but it was a satisfying relief from the hot, and worse yet, moist air. I found my eyes half-lidded, and I closed them with another sigh, allowing the darkness to lull me gently to sleep.

-----

I heard the whispers of the hushed wind, and I opened my eyes, perplexed. Where am I? Why was I here? "He's awake," a rough, male voice muttered aloud. I remembered now, my hazy thoughts clearing slightly. I was captured. I shivered mentally – for reason yet to be discovered. I was kicked brutally in the ribs. "Get up, half blood." I coughed at a kick in the stomach.

"Shut up," a different one, female this time, said. I was dragged upwards by my long hair onto my feet, and my lips twisted into a grimace at the added pressure and pain, my one rebellion. The female pushed me forward forcefully, all the while chattering happily to her companion how I would fetch a large sum of ferals.

Dear Kami, I was going to be sold.

Why? I whispered to myself. "Why?"

I heard the bustling crowds as I was pushed into a line of sorry looking cobras and dragons onto a platform. The male slave-seller shouted, his voice screeching loud and booming. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to present you some of our finer slaves. This one," the male grabbed me forward, "will start at a bid of 300 ferals." I felt a little sick, hearing the people call out the ridiculous sums.

"Do I hear 400, 500, 600!?" the man's female partner cried out happily.

"700 ferals!" I heard a single voice cry. I was shocked, and then embarrassed, after all, I was standing up there in my night clothes, and finally insulted. I didn't want to think I was only worth that much, but what could I expect? I was brought here as a slave, and the only fact that my "worth" wasn't lowered was because neither of the two slave-sellers mentioned my… genes.

"Sold, to the man with 700 ferals!" the female said ecstatically. I pursed my lips into a frown.

I was handed roughly to the man, and I refused to look at my buyer – an old man. The old man's companion, a girl – perhaps around the same age as Aoba – glanced back at me at the old man, as chains were shackled tightly around my wrists and a thick leather collar around my neck. "Do you think Allen will like him? I know the crown's finally getting handed over to him and this is supposed to be a present in honor of that, but still, we don't really have that many slaves over there and you know how he feels about the war –"

The old man cut her off, effectively shutting her up thankfully. She talked too much, just like the stupid rabbit. "It'll be fine, Ms. Li. The young prince has never refused anything from you. He'll make an exception." Wonderful. Royalty presented to another royal.

_As a slave_, I thought bitterly.

The girl turned to me, her dark, violet eyes tolerant and guarded, and at the same time if possible, friendly. "I'm Linali Li," she said quietly. "This is a friend of mine, Bookman." She paused for a moment. "I'm sort of a cousin to the prince," she added after a careful thought. "Do you have a name?" I hesitated. Would my situation manage to plummet further if I admitted I was the next king of the draconians? – it probably would, now that I've thought about it.

"Kanna," I lied. Being enemies to the dragons, there was no doubt that the phoenixes would know the names of my family. Linali nodded. I thought this was a good name, better than my last name (field of God) but not as great as my last name (superior).

Kanna.

Godless.

Master less.

My "name" was too contradictory to my current position, not that I can do anything about it, even if I was fairly strong in hand to hand combat (a requirement for all those that lived in the Nest).

It suddenly struck me, and I cursed mentally.

I _was _a damsel – cough, soon-to-be king – in distress.


	3. Phoenix Prince

"We're coming in, Allen," Linali said, knocking on the door, followed by a slightly surprised "um, yes, come in." The voice was mellow, matching the owner, and my first thought was, _he can't be any older than me._ Allen was a couple inches shorter than I was, exceptionally fair in both skin and hair – one might supply "albino", even. I looked up again as the prince glanced at me questionably with soft, liquid silver eyes.

Linali gave a wary look to the child-like maid beside him – a black raven – and the maid smirked in return, her wide golden eyes bemused. "This is…?" Allen began, trailing off as gave me a once over, his eyes contemplating.

"Kanna," Linali answered for me. "A gift – in congratulations for your… you know… your ascendance to the throne."

"A gift," Allen repeated. "I… thanks, Linali…" I heard the silent _I suppose_. "Would you like to chat with Rhode for a bit? She has been complaining that you've been ignoring her lately." The dark-haired phoenix's face blanched; furiously, she shook her head negative.

"No thank you, cousin," she said hastily, "I do believe I hear my brother calling to make coffee for him. Very sorry, Rhode." The petite avian girl pouted.

Allen was silent for a long moment as I stood there, unsure of what I should be doing, before he opened his mouth to utter, "Would you please leave, Rhode." It didn't sound like a question, or a command, more like a request. Allen seemed like a quiet, humble person, from what I could see so far, but his eyes told me, _not naïve_. He turned his silvery gaze to me. "Do you have wings?"

"No," I said flatly. I couldn't escape, if that was what he was hinting at. "I'm a draconian, obviously." Partially. I had wings, but I couldn't use them.

Phoenixes were light-colored creatures, ranging from whites, reds, the occasional greens, and gold. Dragons, on the other hand, were all sorts of colors.

His eyes were suddenly, if possible, more apologetic. "Ah," Allen said uncomfortably, and we settled back into an awkward silence.

"Shouldn't I be somewhere else, doing something?"

Allen looked at me, but I noticed he was careful not to look me in the eyes. It was a very common fact that serpents could mesmerize their prey, but it wasn't as strong as most avians and phoenixes were so keen to believe.

"Do you want to be? I could find some work for you," he suggested. Should I nod? I decided to stay silent. "I'll take that as a no. You don't look like you're very suited to 'hard' work, anyway. You're too… thin, and…" his face reddened slightly, "and even if you had a larger build, you're too… pretty." I stared at him blankly. I was being called pretty, like I was a girl.

I should feel insulted, enraged, but I… despite my horror, I felt _flattered. _I said nothing, hoping my cheeks weren't at all pink.

"The Dragon's Nest," he muttered, followed by a sigh. "I sorry that you're here, draconian or not," he said apologetically.

"Your apology doesn't change anything."

Soon afterwards, I was led to a slave quarters. I was slightly astonished, and pleased, to see that it would be such a sanitary place. It was an acceptable place, and I wasn't about to be picky.

The only problem was how the quarters didn't accept _me_.

I caught more than a few angered pairs of eyes attempting to glare holes into me, and the barely contained and harsh whispers surrounded me. One of them even had the tenacity to march up to me, a very large, what I suppose would be a fear-inducing man. My eyes flitted across his light gray skin with disinterest. "What's a little _dragon_," he said, making a face of disgust at the enunciated word, "like _you_doing here?"

"Yeah! Get him, Skin!" a few of them cried.

Apparently I was in the _avian _slave quarters. If I were to file a complaint, I wonder if Allen would listen. I doubt it.

I snorted. "You act as if I _want _to be here."

Wrong response.

I was smacked across the face by Skin, and the man smirked down at me. He crouched down with a grin, taking a strand of my hair and toying with it. "What's next?" he sang. "An arm or a leg?"

"A leg! A leg!"

"No, arms!" A female shouted.

"_Excuse_me, but what's going on here!" a girl snarled in the doorway. Skin turned to her, and a few others. It was that avian girl from earlier. Her golden eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Stupid Skin, how many times did I tell you: no candy if you fight?!"

"But Rhode," Skin whined, "this isn't fighting, this is a beating!"

Rhode waved a light gray hand. "Same difference," she growled. She walked over to us, and her wild, carefully spiked hair bobbed with the movement. "I can't make friends with Linali if I have to explain why the few cobras and stuff are getting beaten up." She pouted again.

Skin rolled his eyes, silent from the childish threat.

"Oh, oh never mind!" she said in exasperation. "Just hand him over."

"But Rhode!" Skin protested. "What'll the rest of us do for entertainment?!"

"Why don't you figure it out for yourself?" Rhode replied, dragging me out into the large, empty hallway. What would this girl want with me? She didn't seem against serpents and dragons, so perhaps she… No, I reminded myself that she was an avian, and no matter what the reasons, she wouldn't help me.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To see Allen," she said. "He can't stand to see anybody hurt."

I didn't care. I hated the war, but that didn't mean I liked phoenixes either. I wanted to have as little as possible to do with him.

"Nothing happened back there. I just got slapped." Still, even though it didn't hurt anymore, another strip had been slashed from my pride. Rhode frowned.

"Play it up to him, kid. You might get a ticket out of here." I refused to suck up to anyone, no matter what the circumstance was.

"Is that why you want to get close to Linali?" I said. She smirked, chuckling wryly.

"No, what I said earlier was true. I _do _want _her _as my friend, even though she doesn't want to." She laughed. "I love a challenge. Seriously, I think you should listen to me. Sucking up really helps once in awhile, or so I'm told." I wanted out, but I wasn't desperate. I wasn't going to submit into servitude.

Not now, not ever.

Rhode pushed me into Allen's chamber, slamming the door behind her with her somewhat creepy smile. "Good evening, Kanna. See you tomorrow morning!" Good evening, indeed.

"Oh, what are you doing back here, Kanna?" I was surprised that he remembered my pseudonym.

"Rhode brought me here."

He smiled faintly. "That explains a bit."


	4. Proposition

Sometimes, I wondered what I might've done in the last life to deserve being stuck here, sometimes running errands (which as supposed to be servants' work), scrubbing the hallways free of dirt, or once in awhile, being forced to dance for the entertainment of others (this could vary to from servants or other slaves). All in all, it was simply tiring.

"Hey_snake_, rise and shine!" I scowled, shivering violently as ice cold water splattered all over me. Goosebumps spread, and I wrapped my arms around my wet self in a failing attempt to keep myself warm. Had it been otherwise, I would've bothered to correct the stupid, sneering adolescents in front of me.

As soon as they left, I began to peel the slick, clinging nightshirt off, throwing them onto the wooden floor, which I found greatly preferable to the marble floor in this cold weather. I hurriedly dressed, not wanting to catch some unknown disease.

A month ago, Allen – he insisted on being called by his name by everyone, but him being a phoenix and me being me, I refused to do so and instead called him Walker aloud – had relocated me to the servants' quarters instead. It was better, seeing as everyone on this level had separate rooms.

My only problem, which I intended to keep to myself, was that the doors had no locks.

My neighbors seemed to have a penchant for making my life here as miserable as possible at the same time.

I tried not to let it get to me too much.

I combed out my hair before tying it back with a simple red hair tie. Over the few weeks of constant work, being slapped just about everywhere on my face and body, and the fights (that I didn't start, not intentionally anyway) I found that long hair was quite troublesome, especially when trying to remove the great quantities of grime and dirt during one's very scant bathing time. I didn't really have the heart to get rid of it though. I grew up with it, and as idiotic as it would sound, I felt partial to it.

Another day of work. I sighed. It was part of my routine.

I entered the kitchen for a couple of bites of much wanted food, and as usual, I was handed a plate of runny eggs and a cup of lukewarm milk. Fine by me, I liked my eggs with the yolk running all over the place. The milk, however, I was always careful to smell (it was always spoiled to the core) before getting rid of it by the means of dumping it out the window and onto some unfortunate (not) phoenix's head.

Once in awhile, Linali would come into the room, chatting with me (it was almost always a one-sided conversation), and most of the time, I would remind her I had work to be done and she should probably look for Rhode, who ironically seemed to have all the time of the world in those tiny palms of her hands.

"Kanna," Linali said. I looked up at her from my scrubbing, giving her my short but focused attention. "Allen wants to see you. He didn't tell me why." The best thing about seeing the Kasaiou was the fact I could ditch work. I hastily threw the rag back into the dripping bucket of soapy water, following after the royal girl.

She stopped, holding out the door for me. Strange – shouldn't I be holding it out for myself? "Kanna," Allen greeted me with a smile. "It's good to see you."

"Did you call me here for a social visit, or is there a task that you want me to do for you?"

"A task, yes, but not a chore," Allen said. "You're very quick to the point." I crossed my arms over my chest, watching him carefully as he stood up, holding a thick document. Handing it to me, I noticed the rather disgusting looking spots. "Is this drool?" I asked mockingly. He flushed in embarrassment, snatching away the file as he wiped the stains as dry as possible as I smirked to myself. "Oh, shut up," Allen said, sulking.

"If you called me here for nothing, I'm leaving," I threatened mildly, turning on the ball of my foot in the direction of the door.

His eyes widened a fraction as he called after me. "Wait, I just want a favor!" I turned back, sparing him the slightest of glances.

"What?" I was a little annoyed, though I wasn't in the mood to go back to work.

A solemn expression crossed his pale face. "I wish to make peace with the draconians." I stared hard at him for a moment, trying to read his eyes. I opened my mouth, and then closed it. I shook my head.

"I'm not in power, remember?" I prompted. Perhaps the Kasaiou was a few marbles short of a bag.

"But you are a draconian," he insisted. "You would know their culture and ways."

"And_I'm _sure that you don't need my help," I said. What could I discuss with a phoenix anyway? I was sure I would end up frustrating him, for a I had a short temper, and I don't believe that he would understand why our culture was the way it was.

I was nowhere even fond of the war, but even if we stopped, there weren't many things that we could agree on. Phoenixes were singers, dragons were dancer. Phoenixes flew, and dragons slither with grace.

But perhaps, the biggest difference was how we acted in behavior. In theory (as all people were different, no matter what) phoenixes were more open in every way, and the dragons, we were more of the reticent, quiet sort, although most of the time, Yuuki had managed to defy this stereotype while gaining the complete favor of our people. Aoba had been calmer, cooler, and had a way with her verbal skills. I wasn't sure what to think of Rabi, though I recalled when I first met him, I had been appalled by his audacity of calling me by my first name.

"However, Walker, if you honestly insist on making peace, then try to gain the favor of the Ryuou." I do believe that Aoba has taken over the thrown now, now that I too, was "gone". I had no doubt she would scheme against the phoenixes and avians for life if she found out I had been held captive though.

"Your king?"

"Queen, actually," I said grimly. "I heard her brother disappeared awhile ago," me, of course, "and her elder sister," who was originally supposed to be our Ryuou, "is dead." I gave him a pointed look, trying to look as enraged while trying to not get into trouble as much as possible. "And don't you even think about marrying her," I added underneath my breath.

"Do you know her?" he asked, hopeful. I turned my eyes from him.

"I had connections, not that I can contact them right now."

"Help me out, and I promise to release you." That sounded like a fair deal, but I wanted more, but I would think of that later.

"Maybe, Walker. I'll think about it."


	5. On the Go

I frowned at the knocking on my door, since anyone that wanted to come in (for reasons I hated) usually barged in, carrying something or in a band with others. "Kanna," a mellow voice whispered. "It's me." Allen, I recognized. One might be wondering what the Kasaiou might be doing knocking at the door of a slave – one that happened to be a draconian mongrel, and a prince of all things, not that he knew anything about that. I had been sure it was best to keep him clueless about that. "Kanna." He sounded a little frustrated the second time. "Are you opening the door or not?"

"Fine, fine," I grumbled, getting out of bed. "You do know the door isn't locked, right?" I said dryly.

"Yes," Allen said with a faint smile, "but knocking and waiting to be invited in is the polite thing to do." I rolled my eyes, though I did like being able to choose whether or not to just bring him in or keep him out, unlike all of my other unwelcome visitors. I felt a weight settling next to mine. I felt uncomfortable, being this close to a phoenix. I shifted over about a foot away.

"Did you think of any ideas today?" he asked me. I did.

"Perhaps I can act as a messenger." I kept all emotion out of my voice, and my face as blank as I could manage. It was quite easy, as I had much practice. I didn't want to sound eager, and ruin my chances of escape. "I'm close with people that know the Ryuou personally. They wouldn't hesitate to kill an avian or phoenix, but they will spare me." I was confident of that.

He nodded. "That makes sense." He lied down, his arms stretched across the width of the bed. My eye twitched, just a little bit. He was at least half of a foot closer to me. I stood up, inching away from the bed. "Would you mind if I sent you now?"

"I'm tired, as you can see," I said.

"Night is the best time to go somewhere if you don't want to get caught."

"Che, I didn't know you were that sort of person, Walker."

"No, I'm just saying… Never mind. If I came with you, do you think they'd hear me out?" He gazed up at me, his silver eyes glowing in the moonlight. I shifted my gaze to the floor.

"Yes." They would.

Because I was going to be Ryuou and this was the Kasaiou, a man that held complete power over his people and one of the keys to ending the war.

I could tell he was exhausted. He seemed thin for king that held with and power, and dark grey circles underneath his eyes as if he suffered from an endless lack of sleep. I could tell he was impatient. Even lying still on my bed, his fingers twitched with restlessness. He wanted the war to end – quickly. He knew I could help.

"If I came with you, when do you plan to leave?"

"As I had planned earlier – tonight." He must've had prepared everything already. He'd be an idiot if not. I hated idiots.

He stood up from the bed, glancing back, expecting me to follow. We exited my room, and I was glad to see no one was awake to see this action. There was no doubt that rumors would rise up, and I refused to be sought after, a whore in the eyes of those that resided in this court.

We were to dress as dragons did – in long, shimmering clothes of bright, numerous colors that would cling but were loose for comfort and activity. I was glad to be back in the familiar style of the clothing against my skin. In my opinion, the phoenixes' choice of clothing was too tight, and itched. Allen seemed to agree, marveling at the lightness of the soft silk, though he chose a more demure color of a tawny brown and gold – colors that phoenixes and other birds preferred – than my sapphire blue and silver.

In case anyone would recognize me on the way, I covered the lower half of my face with a black scarf.

I slipped off my silver corded necklace, handing it to him, and kept my white and black bracelet hidden underneath my long, billowing sleeves. "Keep this with you at all times. It's for protection, and you'll have access to enter the Dragon's Nest without invitation." He seemed suspicious of the black, glimmering onyx woven in the middle on the glittering silver, but he slipped it on anyway.

Allen cradled the document to him gently, as if it were sleeping child. Either way, it was just as valuable.

We chose in an underground passage. I was handed a map, my eyes scanning the contents with ease in the dark as I guided the both of us into what was supposed to be the forest. I lifted the trapdoor after climbing a metal ladder and pulled Allen up the rest of the way. "It should be relatively easy the rest of the way to the Dragon's Nest. Just stick by me, and try not to make much noise," I said decisively.

"You're quite the leader," Allen commented. I ignored him, turning my eyes onto the barely there trail. It was very faint, a trail that hadn't been in use for probably centuries. Dragons and phoenixes were long living creatures, not to mention slow to forgive and forget.

My feet pressed into the trail, and behind me was the soft padding of the Kasaiou's feet. The dirt felt like dirt like any other of the earth, but the feelings that came with it were different. There was a certain sort of warmth as I walked along this path, a bond kind of. It was a link between the Dragon's Nest and Phoenix's Tower, and I wondered what had happened so long ago to have severed the bond.

Have any of my ancestors walked this path?

"Kanna, is that the Dragon's Nest?"

I tilted my head upwards, my lips curving into a quick smile. "Yes." It was good to be home.

Did anyone miss me while I was gone? I quickened the pacing of my feet, nearly running ahead, with Allen a close behind.

It hadn't changed at all, and I was relieved.

We approached the giant gates, and never before had they felt so welcome. I doubted Allen was feeling the same way, though. "Who's there?" The tip of a spear was pointed at Allen's throat, and I watched as cold sweat made its way across his cheek.

"He bears the royal insignia. You have no permission to harm him," I pointed out. The phoenix shot me a grateful expression, and I leveled my gaze to the guards at the door. One of the guards sputtered.

"But that's a phoenix!"

"This is the Kasaiou," I said softly. "He's here to make amends and to form a truce with the Ryuou." They glanced at us in suspicion, but could find nothing out of place with us (other than the obvious fact that Allen was phoenix).

"You may pass," they said in reluctance. Allen flashed me a brilliant smile. I brushed past him, intent on seeing my sister.


	6. Meeting with the Queen

I stood outside of Aoba's room. She was always asleep by this time, and she was, fortunately at this moment, a light sleeper. I removed my mask of a scarf. I knocked lightly, and called her name, just loud enough for her to hear alone. "Aoba, Aoba," I said. It was but a few short seconds that the door was flung open, and slanted eyes similar to my own, only slightly wider, met mine in disbelief and happiness.

"Brother!" she squealed, gripping me tightly around my waist. We were in private, so physical contact wasn't looked down upon. "How on earth, why…" She pouted, puffing out a cheek. I chuckled, seeing that being Ryuou hadn't changed her.

"It's good to see you too, Aoba," I said, ruffling her long, dark hair. The dim light in the hall reflected some of the soft, purplish brown tints in her black hair. I stopped, removing my hand. "Aoba, listen. I'm not here for a social visit," I said firmly.

She released a sigh of relief. "So you weren't kidnapped?" she confirmed.

"No…" I shifted from one foot to another. "I went there myself." First I've lied about my name, and then I'm lying to my only family left. No good could come out of this. "I'm under a different name, so please don't mention to anyone I'm here." She protested. "Trust me, it's better this way, besides, I'm just not meant to be Ryuou."

"You're every bit as qualified as I am!" Aoba argued. "You're educated, you're powerful, and –" I silenced her.

"I have wings." She stopped speaking. We had different fathers. It was a secret that not everyone had knowledge of, no one but my family and Rabi. "I'm a _half-breed._ My father was a _phoenix._" If word got around, we would be disgraced. Mother's name would be dirtied. "I'm cursed with magyk." My powers were unbalanced, frightening, because phoenixes and dragons weren't supposed to create children with each other. The earlier years of my childhood had been filled with this magyk, every time in an attempt to harness it, "it didn't end well" was only a prettier way of saying it.

"Does that honestly matter?" she said, quieting her voice, her eyes brimming with justice and innocence. It was moments like these that reminded me very much that she only a child of only thirteen – going onto fourteen in two months – years. "You're a Kanda! All of the Ryuou have descended from them!"

"Oh Aoba…" I wasn't sure of what to say. "People aren't that accepting." I went with the truth.

"I know that, but still… It's not fair… it's not fair…" She was a thirteen year old child, and I, her only family left, had been missing for the last month and half with no word that I was alive and well, at least as well as one in slavery could get at least. She had no one to reassure her that she was making the right decisions (although I wasn't sure if I was always doing the right thing either, but that only serves to prove my point) or to help her through after seeing the weeping of women, men, and children every time she went out onto the streets.

She gripped the front of my shirt, burying her subtly wet face. "I missed you."

"It's alright, it's alright." I wasn't one for comforting, or accepting comfort from anyone. "My name here… it's Kanna," I added slowly.

"Okay…"

"Come on." I gripped her hand gently and pulled her forward, and she rubbed her tears away fiercely. She hated crying. "There's someone that insisted coming here to meet with you."

"A phoenix?"

"How did you guess," I said, my tone light with sarcasm. Her long, side bangs hid her dark, emerald green eyes, and a smile flashed for a mere second before returning to a grim, blank set of lips.

"Why is he here?"

"To discuss the war with you."

"You mean… he doesn't know that you're the Ryuou?"

"No," I answered. "Not yet. Maybe later I'll tell him." I didn't plan to. Aoba frowned.

"Brother, I'm only a substitute here, I shouldn't –"

"No one knows I'm here, remember?" I remind her.

We were silent the rest of the way down to the parlor, where the guests were usually escorted to. I was content simply by being here again. "Is that him?" She whispered to me, curious. I nodded. Sitting by the licking flames was Allen. The fire painted his being with hues of orange and red, reminding me again what he was. I cleared my throat, catching his attention. His eyes lit up, seeing something familiar (me) in a strange, different place.

"This is the Ryuou, Kanda Aoba." A white eyebrow lifted in surprise, but said nothing, smiling warmly, and held out his hand.

"I'm the Kasaiou, Allen Walker." Aoba gave a nod of acknowledgement instead of bowing. There was no need to bow, as they were both on the same level of power. She shook his hand without hesitance. "You are much younger than I imagined," Allen said.

"I'm thirteen," Aoba informed him.

"You're very grown up," Allen said indulgently.

"It's good that you know," Aoba said, haughtiness creeping in, but not enough to make her unlikeable, just enough to show let the Kanda side of her was there. "So," she settled into the soft couch and crossed one leg over the other casually, "what do you wish to speak to me about? You cannot be here just to get to know me."

"Um, yes," Allen said, going into a serious mode along with my sister. He reached into the folds of his shirt, pulling out the packet the encased the document. "These are my plans," he explained. "I'm not sure if you would approve of these, but if you don't, I'm sure we can work out some agreements."

She waved her hand. "Go on."

"Do you have any family left?" Aoba's eyes flitted to my face before training back on Allen's.

"We've found my brother… recently," she said quietly.

"I have a couple of single relatives."

"Sir, you wouldn't be suggesting that we arrange a marriage between our households, would you?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, little queen."


	7. Back in the Room

I snapped my head up, gaping at Allen in an as dignified as possible manner. Oh… were heads going to roll. I was a little angry at Aoba, for revealing that I was "found", and my only comforts were that she was my only little sister – therefore I couldn't kill her, and that she hadn't revealed exactly _who_ Kanda Yuu was.

"Ryuou… Excuse us for a moment, Walker," I said. Catching on, Aoba stood up to follow after me into the hallway.

Her calm, mature face broke into a face filled with nervousness, unsure. "What do you think of his plan, Brother?"

"I don't like the thought of being married off to anyone," I said frankly, "but one of the best ways to end a war _is _to marry those of the opposing parties to each other."

"So are you willing?"

"It's better than a little girl getting married off to some pedophile," I said. Speaking of cousins, I hadn't really met too much of Allen's family, unless you could Linali and her manic, scientific brother. Linali was alright (I don't want to marry her, mostly because I didn't know her too well, and her older brother threatened anybody that did anything remotely close to courting her and the likes), but Komui was a terror (there was _no_ way that I wanted to marry him, and there was also the fact that he was more than a decade older than me). I shuddered.

She looked at me in concern. "Are you cold?" I waved my clawed hand dismissively.

"I'm alright." Her eyes narrowed. A blur of a hand shot forward, clutching my hand tightly as she inspected. Curses. She always was an attentive girl.

"Your hands are losing your calluses," she mumbled as her eyes raked over my hand. "So you're not a guard or anything like that…There are tiny little cuts, liked you've been doing menial work…" She looked up at me. "You're hiding something from me," she accused, "but if you don't want to tell me, I won't mention it again." Fortunately, she was understanding – she won't mention it again because I always end up blabbing it all out to her. Yes, I'm a softie sometimes; it's not something I'm particularly proud of.

"Do you think we should agree?" she said, switching to a different subject.

"If you think it'll do some good. I'm not the king right now," I stated.

"Who said I _want _to be king anyway?" she shot back.

"_Mou_," I said foully, "Just shut up…"

"Fine," she snapped. Silence fell upon us, and she sighed, offering a tiny, if not joyful, smile. "How long will you be staying?"

"We won't be leaving tomorrow morning if that's what you mean." It was close to the time where today would die, bleeding into tomorrow, and I didn't plan on hiking back several miles to the Phoenix's Tower with my aching feet. Pleased, she smiled again.

"We shouldn't keep Walker waiting," she said, preparing to go back inside.

"You, not we," I corrected. She shrugged, and I stayed behind. I could hear her making plans with Allen as I stared out of the stained glass window. Moonlight streamed in, tainted as it was filtered through the reds, blues, oranges, greens, and yellows. It was peaceful. I sank onto the warm wooden floor, the weight of my eyelids pulling down over my eyes as I closed them.

Being back here in draconian clothes, back in my home (even if I was rooms and hallways away from my chamber), I could finally sleep with ease.

-----

My eyes fluttered for a few moments before I reluctantly opened them. They shot open, and I sat up in astonishment, wondering how I was in my room. Aoba might've called someone to take me up here, but that was unlikely, seeing as how I requested that she didn't disclose my identity to anyone here. Not that I was complaining, mind you. I hadn't been in a bed as soft as this for awhile.

I pulled the covers over my shoulders as I snuggled back into the comfort of my bed, knowing that this was _my_ room. The door opened. I opened one my eyes to a slit, peering out to see who was entering my room. "Walker? What are you doing in here?" He grinned sheepishly, laughing nervously.

"Sorry," he apologized with his warm smile. I thought it was annoying how much he smiled when there really wasn't much to smile _for_, but I didn't comment on it. "I couldn't sleep too well so I decided to look around, but I ended up getting nearly killed by some of the dragons around." He looked puzzled. "I keep ending up back here every time I'm lost." He chuckled. "At least now you know where you'd need to find me if I'm not around." I rolled my eyes.

"And why would I ever look for you?" I scoffed. His smile faded into a smaller version of its former glory.

"I suppose that's also true." I heard a soft ringing of hollowness in his words, but chose to ignore it. He sat on the edge of my bed, his back facing me, and he faced the window, staring out where the sun hung in the sky, shining brightly. "Perhaps I shouldn't have come." _If you didn't come, I certainly wouldn't have_. Of course, I kept this to myself. "I mean, I don't even know what to do next," he said miserably. Why was he telling me this? I didn't want to listen. But he rambled on anyway, and my thoughts clearly didn't reach him. "I… I really have no idea how to bring these two races together," he confessed softly. Neither did I know.

"You're attempting to make step one," I said. "Trying to bring the two royal households together."

"Yeah." He lied down next to me. I shuffled over to avoid contact with him. "Do you'll think it'll work?"

"Perhaps." I had no intention of tying the knot with anyone I barely knew, though. Dragons didn't believe in arranged marriage. I wasn't sure if it was that way with phoenixes. _Then again_, I thought,_I _am _a draconian and phoenix hybrid_.

I stiffened a little as Allen nudged the tip of his nose against my neck. How did he manage to get so _close _ to me without me noticing? "Hey, Kanna," he murmured drowsily. "You smell kind of funny…" He yawned. "…but a nice kind of funny." He grinned lazily, his eyes half-lidded. "You smell a bit like a phoenix." I was silent as he fell asleep, his light, soft snoring countering against the silence.


	8. A Couple of Thoughts

Frankly, I began to panic, wondering whether or not I should push the slumbering youth off my bed. He had, unknowingly (and hopefully it shall remain that way), discovered my one great secret. I felt threatened, a little scared at what might happen if he _did _manage to remember, and it was a struggle for me to calm myself down, trying to will away the ebony black scales that were surfacing, rippling along my arms, legs, and face. _Control yourself_, I thought, _he's not an enemy_. Strange. I didn't hate him.

The thought of my not hating, or at _least_ disliking, another phoenix unnerved me. The notion was simply ridiculous.

I slid out of bed to glance up into the mirror, seeing my pale face slightly flushed and my irises shimmering from black to a soft shade of milky gray and back to my normal bluish black. I looked back at Allen, embarrassed, and dressed as quickly as possible in a fresh but ordinary and casual set of robes, this time white with embroidered with vines a few shades darker than the white snaking everywhere across the fabric. As cowardly and childish as it was, I prayed that he wouldn't awake.

He moved around as he slept, and I watched just for the heck of it.

I heard him mutter quietly, but still loud enough for me to hear from across the room. "…a phoenix… dragon…" My heart sped up, palpitating, and I clenched my eyes shut, not daring to breathe. "…half-breed…" I froze, but then reassured myself that he wasn't awake and I was still safe for the time being.

I came to one conclusion.

Allen was very bad for the heart.

I slipped out of my room, glancing down the hallway before heading out to the courtyard. I settled down among the bushes, which rose a few feet taller than I was when I sat. No one had ever found out, that is, if you didn't count my older and younger sister, that I liked to hide out here. It was an ideal place to recollect my thoughts – quiet and serene.

I splashed some water from a nearby pond onto my face; the coolness of the liquid made my face and hands tingle pleasantly. I was still tired, and I stretched myself out onto the grass, my eyes staring up emptily at the sky, watching as the clouds quickly rushed along, leaving me and the rest of the world behind as new clouds replaced them. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" a familiar voice mused, and a shadow fell over me.

I turned my eyes to Aoba, who was standing over me from my side, her hair hanging over me like a waterfall. "What's it to you where I choose to go?" I asked coolly, choosing to close my eyes. Couldn't she see I was enjoying the silence? Like all siblings, I was easily aggravated by another sibling. It was nothing special.

"Good morning to you, too," she replied dryly, plopping down next to me.

"Don't you have some paperwork to take care of?" I reprimanded.

She smirked. "I gave it all to Rabi."

"Lazy girl," I scolded. She countered with a halfhearted smack to my side. "At least they're in good hands." I would never say that to Rabi's face. That action would be a one-way ticket for being annoyed for the rest of my life.

My stomach gurgled in complaint, urging me to pay a trip to the kitchen. A trip I haven't yet broken out of habit. "Breakfast it is!" Aoba chirped, pulling me onto my feet. "Perhaps I'll have egg custard this morning. Jerry makes such good food!"

"Don't pig out."

"I deserve a little treat now and then," she said with a playful smirk. "After all, I'm the one who gets stuck with cleaning up all the crap people end up getting into."

"I thought that was the janitor's job." She huffed.

"You know what I mean."

I ended up sitting to the right of Aoba, who was sitting at the head of the table – the spot where the Ryuou was supposed to sit. Allen was sitting across from me, and I watched in fascinated disgust as he shoveled down an entire mountain of food down his little throat. "How can you actually _eat _all of that?" I commented with a grimace.

He looked up at me and chewed for a few more minutes before swallowing. "I'm not sure."

I snorted. "You must be well known for your endless abyss of a stomach." His ears reddened with embarrassment before paling back into the familiar soft and translucent color.

He coughed slightly. "I'm not the one who looks like a girl." My eye twitched, insulted. I was _not _feminine.

"Well…_I'm _not the one who drooled all over all of the office papers," I countered. You might wonder why I would know this sort of information, and I assure you, it's not what you think it might be. I was simply called up into Allen's room one night. Apparently he was a lazy oaf – much like Aoba – and had somehow found out I had the ability to read and write, and he had ended up dumping pretty much all of what he deemed as "two weeks' worth of paperwork" and practically begging me to help him out. Me being me, I tried to worm out of it since I had gone through an entire day's worth of crap and I hadn't felt like having more work to do. Much to my chagrin, he had had the _audacity _to _dare _sleep in front of me. While I was doing _his_ work.

I had the satisfaction of watching his ears turn red again, and we could both hear Aoba laughing lightly in the background.

"Meanie," he grumbled.

"What kind of thing is that for a _king _to say?" I said, smirking. He glared at me half-heartedly.

I slurped up soba, some of the soup from the bowl flicking over to Allen's side. "And _this _is what you call _table manners_?"

"Last time I checked, _Moyashi_," I said, somewhat irritated, "this is the way we eat noodles in Dragon's Nest."

"I guess," he responded, deflated. There were many differences between Dragon's Nest and Phoenix's Tower. Etiquette was just the beginning.

"Don't you two have anything better to do than to insult each other?" Aoba complained. I shrugged, not really caring. I heard Allen whisper to Aoba, "What does _moyashi _mean?" She laughed again. I shook my head, indicating that I didn't want her to answer him.

"Sorry," she grinned, not at all repentant. "I'm under an obligation, so I can't tell you." Allen pursed his lips into a pout.

"You're a meanie too…"

"And proud of it!" she replied jokingly.

Allen, as usual, appeared oblivious to the deadly glares being sent toward him (not by me, honestly). I wondered if Aoba had noticed as well. I really didn't want to see Allen's mangled, bloody corpse in the corridor one unsuspecting night.

How troublesome.

-----

"So, _Kanna_, when do you plan to tell everyone you're 'Yuu'?" I paused for a moment, thinking. I didn't think it was the right time yet. I wasn't ready.

"Not yet," I said simply. There was a quiet pause. "How goes the marriage plans?" I asked casually.

"If it doesn't work out… you know as well as I do that I have the best underground network of information around." Her fingers wrapped around a crystal glass of wine. "Either way, the war _will _end." I didn't feel reassured. I snatched the goblet away, the red liquid nearly spilling over the rim and onto the table.

"You're not of legal age yet," I informed her. She crossed her arms over her chest with a sigh.

------

BN: Sorry. I just had to add that 'How troublesome' in there. Please feel free to delete. Your grammer's gotten marginally better since… what? A week ago?

To all readers: Review! Neither of us spent our valuable time and energy on this just for you to intellectually freeload on it!


	9. Liking

Aoba's underground network, aka the White Tail, to put it into simply terms, was remarkable – amazing – and no, I wasn't saying that because I was her older brother. Unlike the Black Scales Guard (the system of gaining and trading information that was known to a select few, and was officially used by draconian royalty), hers was much more efficient, in more ways than one.

Aoba didn't have anything to report yet as of today.

I was wandering the corridors again, and the servants ignored me. It was rather nice, as it had never really made sense to me why they cowered in front of me back when I was the prince.

But that wasn't what I intended to discuss – I was bored, very bored. I had contemplated earlier that perhaps I should visit Rabi, but as good as friends we were, I couldn't exactly trust him with the secret, the one where I was sort of… under the employment of the Kasaiou.

Yes. Rabi was a blabbermouth. Trust me; you don't want to be fooled by his intelligent face and the glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose. Often, I have regretted accepting him as a companion.

It was now spring and the birds outside chirped hesitantly. Birds were rare here in Dragon's Nest, and I stopped a moment to watch them. They were tiny and tawny colored. Feeling threatened, for I my dragon blood happened to be louder than my phoenix blood, the birds quickly took flight, leaping up from the thin branches. For some reason, I felt disappointed, even though the birds weren't all that interesting.

I walked on again, my eyes downcast to the floor. Holding your head up could be tiring most of the time. Of course, this also caused some problems too. I slammed most ungracefully against a hard body, not much bigger than my own. We both fell back, startled, onto the floor into an undignified heap, with the other one on top of me. I had some trouble breathing – he was quite heavy.

"K-Kanna!" Allen stuttered out, aghast. "I'm so sorry!"

It made sense that of all people I would bump into was Allen, seeing as he was mainly a klutz when he wasn't in the presence of his court. I didn't mind, seeing as the fall managed to take my mind off my boredom. However, I would like to clear up whatever misunderstanding that may sprout from that statement, and safely say that I'm not masochist.

"It's alright," I said nonchalantly. "You're just a clumsy fool after all. I can't exactly blame you." He stared at me witheringly, pulling himself up to his feet and offering me his hand. I took it without a second thought, and it wasn't until that I was back onto my bare feet that I started thinking. I had taken the hand of a _phoenix_. I had _touched _him. And the thought didn't make me recoil in disgust.

This was a good thing. Being on good terms with your enemies would help end the war. But I felt reluctant to do so, even though I might sound whiny for mentioning it.

Allen smiled sheepishly, shuffling the toe of his foot against the floor, and we stood in the quiet. I spoke up, uncomfortable in the silence. Allen usually provided conversation, even if he was the only one speaking. "So where were you this morning?"

His smile didn't go away. I watched as a red tongue peeked out to wet his dry lips. "I was kind of out training with the guard dog outside," he admitted sheepishly. "He's great, has a good sense of humor. He kept laughing at me though."

"You mean Cerberus." I was immediately amused. I could imagine the situation perfectly, with the stubbornness and crudeness of Cerberus and the stupidity of Allen.

_With his sword pointed to the three headed dog's throat, Allen said, "Just give-up already, three-headed, ebony horse-dog… thing!"_

_Cerberus burst out into a barking laughter, one of his great paws slamming up and down onto the cobblestones outside as his black tail swept back and forth in a wag. Cer sighed. "Alright kid, we'll say it one more time for you…" Allen's eyes furrowed at the prospect of being called a child._

"_We are the protectors of the gates to the next world, we are the creatures of terror and punishment, and we are synonymous with darkness, we are the mighty…" Ber continued._

"…_Cerberus!" Rus crowed, or in their case, laughingly barked. The three canine heads began to laugh together. "Man, not that saying it again would help. He's probably already forgotten it by now!"_

"_Yeah," Ber said._

"_I know, I mean, look at that short term memory of his!" Cer laughed._

_Allen glared, muttering. "Stupid jerks."_

"From what I know, Aoba won him in a bet from Hades."

Allen frowned, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Egh… what rotten luck your sister has."

"She's actually very proud of Cerberus though."

"That's… confounding." It really wasn't. Cerberus was a "wonderful guard dog", as quoted by the rest of the draconians around, and Aoba had gone to great lengths in the card games to secure for herself the demon dog, especially after the incident with Elder Sister. That and she never was able to resist winning prizes, no matter how insignificant.

I was about to turn back, to avoid him, but he curled his long elfin fingers around my wrist. "Wait," he said. His eyes bore into me, warm, and… I looked away, my bangs sweeping my eyes. I really didn't want to believe what I saw in his eyes.

Longing.

I didn't know, not for sure, what he thought of me. He didn't know I was the Ryuou. He thought I was one of his few draconian slaves around the Phoenix's Tower. I didn't know if he remembered if I was a mongrel.

On second thought, I didn't want to know.

"Kanna… do you mind if I tell you something?" Yes, I do. Especially with him looking at me like this. But I found myself frozen in place. It couldn't be that I wanted to listen. I didn't like him, not that way. Maybe… Maybe I _did_ kind of consider him as a friend, but… I couldn't like him. Not that way.

"I like you. A lot." The words rang back and forth in my head, and I stared up at him, gaping. "You know… like you like you."

On the other hand, I felt reassured. He didn't tell me he loved me, but he didn't like me the way friends did either.

I looked for a distraction. I settled for looking down at the floor, but I couldn't hear anything but the soft, but persistently strong pounding of his heart, and his slightly uneven and nervous breathing. "Kanna?" he repeated my "name", worried, and he reached out for me. I drew back, glancing up back at him through my lashes.

"Excuse me for a moment, Wa… Kasaiou." I was being a spineless idiot, and I couldn't repress back that twinge of regret. "I remember the Ryuou had a task for me." I left him standing alone in the empty corridor. Perhaps I had tried to avoid him too harshly. I told myself that if he really liked me that way, he would tell me again, some other time.

I just wanted to hear it any other time than now.


	10. Ethical

I was back in the garden again, hiding behind a bush. I reached for my face, feeling that my cheeks were still warm. I was fairly sure that they were pink. "Brother…" Again she found me. Aoba sat down beside me, her dark eyes serious. She tried to search my face, and I looked away. "Did something happen between you and Walker?"

"Nothing," I said, too quickly for either of our tastes. Her brows furrowed and she pushed me a little. "It's…" I had no idea what to say, "…complicated." It sounded so lame, it wasn't funny.

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"You want to bet?" I asked glumly. I wasn't in the mood to be sarcastic. She continued to stare at me. I sighed. "I think All – the Kasaiou," Kami, I nearly said his name, "…_likes_ me." It came out as a whisper. There was no mistake about the miserable emotion in my voice.

"So… are you saying you don't like him either?" Was it me, or did she sound cheerful that I was sad? I tried to wave it off as my imagination.

"I'm not supposed to – I _can't _like him. Not like that." Allen and I – we weren't supposed to mix, for both moral and ethical reasons. Aoba sighed.

"This is the time for change. How can we _change_ anything if a dragon can't like a phoenix?"

"I never said I liked him," I shouted. Aoba snorted.

"Exactly – you're totally in denial," she said, smirking as she pointed a finger at me. "Besides, life would be much easier for you if you liked phoenixes. You're going to end up marrying one anyway."

"I still haven't agreed to that completely, you know," I said, annoyed.

"You haven't disagreed either." She stood, pulling me along with her. "I _know_ you like him."

"We're both men."

"Really, I barely notice that you actually are a male sometimes. You're so… feminine." Life can be rough when your own sister insults your masculinity. She waved her hand dismissively. "Your gender is just another excuse. You're royal, he's royal, and no one is going to say anything."

"But children –"

"Need I remind you, Brother, that there are herbs and such to help a person conceive –"

"Only if you're a woman!" My voice was strained.

"Obviously, you haven't been paying attention to the news and history as of late." Aoba flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "If you could recall, our great-great-great-grandmother was actually male."

"It was a once-in-a-century sort of thing," I protested. "Marriage between me and him will never work."

"Yes it will," she insisted. "Because I said so." Really, at times, she can be so completely childish. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Neither seemed to be appropriate at the moment.

"The world doesn't always to your accord." Aoba shrugged.

"It doesn't change the fact that you still like him," she pointed out. I think this would be a good time to change the subject.

"When do you plan to break the news to the kingdom?"

"As soon as you accept the fact that you like Walker." I growled in exasperation. She was like a dog and its bone with this whole thing.

"I'm telling you," I said slowly, trying to sound completely sure to her and myself, "I don't _like_ him."

"Not even as a friend?"

"I…" I couldn't say. I wanted to tear my hair out. Damn you Aoba, for making me think so much about things that I never wanted to think about in the first place.

"You are so bad at lying," Aoba said flippantly. "But fine, I'll give you a little more time. I just hope that the war doesn't worsen because you refuse to admit that you have no feelings whatsoever for a _phoenix_."

She stood up abruptly and turned on her heel. Her vibrant green skirts flared about as she marched back into the cool marble hallways. I stared after and breathed a long remorseful sigh through my mouth.

"I regret ever meeting you, Allen," I whispered to myself.

000

I lost count of how many times I sighed that day, The sun was setting, staining the sky the many shades of red and blue. Before long, I smacked into someone. Kami, I needed to clear my head. Too much thinking about certain things was making me clumsy. "Hey! Watch where – huh?" The redhead looked up. A broad grin spread across his face.

I quickly slammed my hand across his mouth. "The walls have ears," I hissed. Understanding flickered in his eyes, and I lowered my hand away.

"Sorry for bumping into you. Sometimes I don't look where I'm going. By the way, what's your name?" he asked casually.

"Kanna." He ushered me along. I recognized that he was taking me to the library – his clan's private library.

It was completely the same as I last remembered, as if not a single thing had been moved, that is, of course, if you don't count the various hundreds of thousands of documents, scrolls, books, and maps. It was dark, lit by hundreds of floating candles, some of them nearing the tall ceiling and the crystal chandelier.

Once inside, we settled among the large velvet cushions scattered comfortably on the thick silk rugs. As far as I knew, the Bookman's library was one of the few rooms beside the Ryuou's chamber where people had absolute privacy.

"So, when did you get back?" Lavi asked as he wiped the lenses of his glasses.

"A couple days ago," I said.

"A little… dragon told me you liked a certain birdie." Lavi smirked, giving a low chuckle. I groaned.

"Aoba, wasn't it?"

"Of course." He grabbed a slice of mango from the bowl between us. "Life has been hectic when you went missing, to say the least," he said cheerfully. "All of the officials were arguing whether or not to declare you missing or to declare you dead." He laughed. "They're probably still going on about even behind Aoba's back."

Lavi rolled onto his stomach. "So where were you this entire time?"

"It's a long story…" I wasn't that interested in retelling the entire thing.

"We both have time, and Aoba doesn't expect you back until dinner, I believe."

"What are you, a stalker?" He pointed to his head.

"Photographic memory, remember?"


End file.
